Way to go Carson!

Starting about a year ago Carson and I have been working through the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." This book is a step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read and practice writing. There were some difficult days along the way but overall it has been a joy to have this time with Carson and see him acquire this new skill of reading and writing. Last night he did Lesson 100 and finished the book! Our goal was to finish the book in August and we did it! We are so proud of him. It was a couple months ago that we really saw him turn the corner and see the joy of being able to read. We now see him reading random words he sees on his own initiative. We have started getting library books that he can read and that is really fun for him. We hope this starts him off with a love of reading.

Here is a little sample of him reading the last story in the book

New Crosspoint Facility

We are getting so excited about our new church facility! If you don't know, our church has been meeting in several different locations since it began 4 years ago but at the end of September we will be moving into our new facility. We are renovating an old shopping center (formerly Gold's Gym) and it is going to be so nice! Jeremy took me through the building a couple weeks ago and yesterday he gave Carson a little tour. We are very ready to be in our own building as a church family and have better parking as well. I will certainly post about our first Sunday there and the finished job!


This is the front of the building (not finished obviously) and the new parking lot

This is to the right of the facility and more parking. Around the corner to the right of this strip mall is the church office.

This is Carson in front of one of the two main entrances. One of the benefits of this new building will be one main entrance area. Our facility now has so many entrances that it makes it hard to see everyone.

This is the foyer area right when you walk in and the curved wall to the right is the entrance to the sanctuary.

Behind Carson in this picture is the kitchen serving bar and the kitchen is behind that wall.

This is the stage in the sanctuary

Inside the sanctuary

We are so thankful for God's provision for our church to renovate this facility.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

Today is Jeremy's birthday! I am so thankful for my Jeremy and that the Lord brought him to me and allowed me to become his wife. It is a joy to do life together with him. Thank you buby for being a great leader, husband, father, provider, friend, and lover! I am blessed to have you in my life!

I'm thankful that Jeremy's birthday fell on a Friday, his day off, so we could be together all day. We had a big breakfast this morning and then after lunch we had cake and sang happy birthday. Tonight we are going on a hot date and I can't wait!

you might not want to listen to this too loud;)

Aunt Amy

This picture speaks a lot! Our kiddos love their Aunt Amy and they love having her in our home. Life is just more fun when she is around. We try and have Amy over for a meal once a week during the school year. We love this time with her and we are so thankful for her. It means so much to us to see the influence she is having on our children. Thank you Amy for the role you play in their little lives, they adore you! In fact, this week when Amy was over Carson asked her several times, "Amy, will you spend the night?" That says it all!

Play Dates

Some friends (who also have preschoolers) from church and I recently started a Thursday morning play date here at the house. We are taking turns providing lunch for the whole group. This has been such a fun time for the moms and the kids. I am so thankful for other women in the same season of life! This is an answer to prayer and a blessing to know and fellowship with these women. When we are all together it is about 11 moms and about 25 kids. It's crazy fun as you can imagine!

Happy Birthday Stu & Clark

Today Stu & Clark Finley turned 3! It's hard to believe it's been 3 years since they were born to Jason & Cayce. It's been such a joy to watch them grow from sweet little infants to active little boys. Their party was last night and here are a few pics:

Sarala & Carson

Bryn & Clark

Clark & Jeremy

Happy Birthday Clark

Happy Birthday Stu

We love you!

Lydia is 1 year old!

It is hard to believe that our baby is already 1! What a joy our Lydia has brought to our lives. It's hard to remember our family without her. She has such a sweet nature about her and has been a great baby. We love seeing more and more of her personality come out with every passing month. I recently have loved seeing her and Jeremy's bond, it's so sweet how she is becoming quite fond of her daddy! She adores her brother and her sister is growing on her daily (they provide great entertainment). She is crawling and just started pulling up; no signs of walking yet. She is a great eater and she loves her paci. She is not comfortable with people she isn't used to which makes her quite clingy to me in new and unfamiliar environments. But at home she is a breeze and such a delight! I've pulled together the monthly pictures of her first year below. Oh how they grow up fast!

August 3, 2008

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

12 months old

1 year old stats:
Height: 29 inches 50th %
Weight: 22 pounds 2 ounces 75th %
Head: 18 1/2 inches 90th %

Dad's 60th Birthday Party

My Dad's 60th birthday is today, August 10th, but we celebrated last Friday at the lake. Mom did a great job pulling off a fun party for family and friends! I'm so glad we were all together to celebrate his 60 years of life. I am so thankful for my dad, he is an amazing man and I count it an honor to be his daughter! I love you Dad!!!!

Grampa with his granddaughters. My mom bought matching outfits for the girls, they were too cute!

Grampa with his grandsons

My mom's cousin, Mary, and her husband were able to join us for the party and she brought this fun candle with her from their trip to China. It was so neat and it even played music!

On the way home....we had a GREAT week at the lake! Thanks mom and dad for your hospitality and generosity. We love you very much!